CEA and Calogena To Explore SMR Solution for District Heating at Cadarache Site

CEA (ENS Corporate Member) and Calogena, a nuclear startup subsidiary of the Gorgé industrial group, signed a letter of intent to start feasibility studies on the installation of a pilot small modular reactor (SMR) at the CEA’s Cadarache research centre.

Calogena is currently developing the CAL 30, an SMR with a thermal capacity of 30-MWt light-water reactor specifically designed to decarbonise district heating.

The design was selected in 2023 under France 2030 to support the advancement of nuclear applications in heating, and in 2024, Calogena submitted a safety option file to France’s nuclear regulator (ASN – Autorité de sûreté nucléaire), kickstarting a pre-licensing engagement process, still under review. Calogena has also initiated preliminary discussions with the Finnish nuclear regulator STUK (Säteilyturvakeskus) regarding a potential deployment in Finland.

In the same year, the CAL 30 was included in the shortlist of nine projects selected under the European SMR Industrial Alliance.

CEA’s Cadarache research centre, in southern France, is the largest energy R&D site in Europe, and it is particularly dedicated to research platforms and technological development on decarbonised energies (nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, solar, bioenergies, biotechnologies, hydrogen).

Read more on the CEA Press Release.